1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bread maker, and more particularly, to a bread maker having a baking tray assembly with a fixed tray member and a movable tray member, in which noise generated due to a collision between the fixed tray member and the movable tray member as dough for the bread is kneaded is reduced.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a bread maker has been used in the home for automatically kneading, fermenting, and baking bread.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a bread maker disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2000-86024 includes a main body 101 having a baking space 110, a door 103 to open and close an opening formed at the front of the main body 101, and a panel 102 to manipulate the bread maker, which is provided at one side of the front of the main body 101.
At upper and lower parts of the baking space 110 are an upper kneading drum 111 and a lower kneading drum 112 for respectively winding an upper end and a lower end of a mixing bag (not shown) containing ingredients for dough. The upper kneading drum 111 and the lower kneading drum 112 are parallel to one another, and rotate reciprocally. Between the upper kneading drum 111 and the lower kneading drum 112 are a pair of a kneading supporting members 113 that prevent kneading ingredients in the mixing bag from being pushed out toward the upper kneading drum 111.
Also, between the kneading supporting member 113 and the lower kneading drum 112 is a baking tray 104 accommodating the kneaded ingredients, which may be withdrawn from the baking space 110 and removed from the bread maker.
The baking tray 104 is a rectangular container opening upwardly and is formed of a combination of a first tray member 140 and a second tray member 150. A slit 160 is formed between the first tray member 140 and the second tray member 150 where the first tray member 140 and the second tray member 150 join together.
As shown in FIG. 6, on each lower end of both side walls of the first tray member 140 is a protrusion rib 141 that is slidably coupled to a guide 114 (FIG. 5) in the baking space 110. Each protrusion rib 141 has a plurality of accommodating grooves 142 caved downwardly from the surface thereof.
On a lower end of both side walls of the second tray member 150 are a plurality of projections 151 that protrude from the surface thereof and are movably accommodated in the accommodating grooves 142 of the protrusion ribs 141.
The upper end of the mixing bag is wound on the upper kneading drum 111. The lower end of the mixing bag is wound on the lower drum 112 through the pair of kneading support members 113 and through the slit 160 formed on the bottom of the baking tray 104. Further, during kneading, the mixing bag containing the ingredients for the dough is reciprocated upwardly and downwardly by the upper kneading drum 111 and the lower kneading drum 112. Thus, the ingredients for the dough contained in the mixing bag are kneaded between the pair of kneading support members 113 and the baking tray 104.
After the kneading process is completed, the kneaded dough is placed in the baking tray 104 and the mixing bag is removed, and then the dough is made into bread using a heater 106.
In the conventional bread maker, when the mixing bag moves upwardly through the slit 160 of the baking tray 104 during the kneading process, the second tray member 150 rotates upwardly along with the mixing bag and is rotated at a predetermined angle relative to the protrusion ribs 141 because the projections 151 of the second tray member 150 are movably accommodated in the accommodating grooves 142 of the protrusion ribs 141.
Further, when the mixing bag moves downwardly, the second tray member 150, which has been rotated at the predetermined angle relative to the protrusion ribs 141, moves downwardly with the mixing bag to an initial position, to form the baking tray 104 having the slit 160 between the first tray member 140 and the second tray member 150.
However, as the second tray member 150 rotates downwardly to the initial position, a noise is generated when the second tray member 150 impacts the first tray member 140.